The Bridge, an extraordinary challenge

The Bridge is the success story of an impossible dream by Damien Grimont, a sailor and entrepreneur well-known to Atlanpole*.

This one-man band came up with a fantastic project, an unprecedented sporting, industrial, territorial, artistic and entrepreneurial event, highly symbolic and embodied in history! The Bridge experience left an unforgettable impression on the participants, especially the 1,000 members of the “Club des 100” (Club 100).

The “Club des 100” encompasses the many companies that embarked on the Bridge adventure to exchange and build together the world of tomorrow. The programme was designed by a team led by Yves Gillet, a member of Atlanpole and President of Keran.

Let’s board the Queen Mary 2 to join the “Club des 100” venture, where private sessions brought together around 1,000 delegates from 250 companies. A whole week in entrepreneurial thinking, with no cell phone or internet!

“Club des 100”: programme and objective

The ambition of the “Club des 100” cruise-seminar was to understand and anticipate societal transformation with the aim to shape the world of tomorrow… No less!

Thanks to the presence of 70 expert speakers and 50 moderators, and through the 12-hour daily sessions, the Club members participated in numerous workshops, shared experiences, attended conferences, expanded their networks, discussed with renowned specialists and held business meetings.

Feedback from Atlanpolitan companies

Nils Joyeux, Zéphyr&Borée (innovative sailing freight)

“The cruise far exceeded my expectations. It was just unbelievable, great atmosphere, people being very open, very easy to talk to… It brought lots of new ideas, it was an eye opener. On the business side, I had the chance to meet some of the big names in maritime transport as well as several industrial groups who showed a lot of interest. I saved 120 email addresses and phone numbers. Awesome! I was the lucky winner of the startup competition organised by Atlanpole. The public voted for my project which means that the media on board acknowledged the achievement (FR3, Ouest France…) and I was given the opportunity to pitch during the morning plenary session. In the corridors, everyone knew who I was and would say “Hello Captain! Hello Mr Shipowner!”.

Marie Gaborit, Toovalu (CSR management solutions)

“ The whole week was definitely one-of-a-kind event! In the space of one week, I’ve learnt as much as in the past two years. I’ve learnt a lot on startups, management, geopolitics, climate etc. I even met some of my mentors, like Jean Jouzel who’s going to look for a PhD research student for Toovalu! It was just an amazing learning and sharing experience”.

Benoît Furet, University of Nantes

“ We had fantastic meetings. From the very first day, everyone was super friendly! I was always meeting and talking with people. I presented my concept of robotic-based construction processes at a workshop, and must have sold 1,324 houses (laughter!).”

Walter Bouvais, expert speaker (founder of Terra Eco)

“ An incredible moment. Unbelievable. Words are not enough to express what we experienced. It was like seismic and shock waves between the old and the new world. There are people who really want to change a lot of things, and others who listen but find it difficult. The ball is in the court of those who want to change the world. There’s much to do, it will be tough, but I’m optimistic.”

What next?

The Bridge has built strong collective dynamics and addressed many issues. It’s now up to the companies to take ownership. A new event is already planned, still to be designed. Yves Gillet has called for a 100-day impact event in Nantes with the aim to continue the work and make it possible for new companies to get on board!

Atlanpole will be there with the regional innovative companies.

*Atlanpole provided assistance to Damien Grimont when he set up his company BlueRing – innovative marina creation.